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Indianapolis, Indiana, is firmly nestled in the heart of the American Midwest. As such, it offers a prime jumping-off point for road trips in all directions. Whether you’re exploring the rich musical heritage on the fringes of the South, or investigating historical and ecological sites nearer at hand, a five-hour drive can take you to some outstanding places. In some cases, the drive and visit together can equal a satisfying five-hour day trip from Indiana's capital city.

Lincoln Boyhood Home

About three hours south-southwest of Indianapolis is the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, which preserves the childhood home of Abraham Lincoln, one of America’s most influential presidents. Lincoln and his family lived in Indiana between 1816 and 1830, after which they moved to Illinois. Among the attractions is the Lincoln Living Historical Farm, where visitors can wander a homestead recreated in authentic 19th-century style that's populated with period vegetables, livestock and living-history actors.

Hoosier National Forest

One of Indiana’s top recreation destinations sprawls in four separate units south of the capital: the Hoosier National Forest. The drive there from Indianapolis and back allows enough time for a visit that can make a nice outing of five hours or so. Its attractions include the state’s only federally designated wilderness area – the Charles C. Deam Wilderness – and a rich mosaic of ecosystems. Hikers and motorists can take in plenty of impressive scenery, as from the Buzzard Roost Recreation Area, gazing down onto Ohio River bottomlands from a high vantage, and from the sandstone box canyon of Hemlock Cliffs.

Indiana Dunes

A drive north a bit short of five hours takes you from Indianapolis to see one of the few remaining undeveloped swaths of the southern Lake Michigan coast at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The park is a biologically rich swath of sand beach, towering dunes, swamps and other wetlands, pine groves, oak savannas, hardwood forests and prairies. All this wildness is remarkable considering the preserve’s proximity to major industrial corridors. Visitors can hike to the 126-foot crest of Mount Baldy, an actively moving dune; watch great blue herons gather at a large, long-used rookery in the spring; or simply stroll along the Lake Michigan breakers.

Music City

It takes just about five hours to get to Nashville, Tennessee, south of Indianapolis – one of the country’s great cultural centers. Known as “Music City,” this handsome settlement on the Cumberland River has long functioned as a hot spot for the country music industry. One of the chief expressions of that heritage is the Grand Ole Opry, which, since 1925, has played host to some of the biggest names in American music, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. But it’s not just clawhammer banjos and weeping pedal steel that you’ll hear: The Tennessee Performing Arts Center, for example, also showcases opera, ballet and other diverse genres.

Mounds State Park

This park is within an hour’s drive to the northeast of Indianapolis. You'll want plenty of time to explore its unique features, but travel and visiting time combined can make a good five-hour outing. Effigy mounds constructed by aboriginal peoples of the Archaic Period are scattered across the Midwest, representing a tremendous – and alluring – cultural treasure. Ten mounds, built between about 200 B.C. and A.D. 200, are protected in the state park. Some earthworks in the region are fashioned into animal shapes, but these are abstract in form and appear to have been designed for ceremonial and possibly astronomical purposes. The biggest is the Great Mound, which has a quarter-mile circumference. A variety of hiking trails explore this deep history and the wooded bluffs along the White River.

About the Author

Ethan Shaw is a writer and naturalist living in Oregon. He has written extensively on outdoor recreation, ecology and earth science for outlets such as Backpacker Magazine, the Bureau of Land Management and Atlas Obscura. Shaw holds a Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology and a graduate certificate in geographic information systems from the University of Wisconsin.

Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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